THE CANDIDATE BEHIND THE LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT
Meet Kevin Gorman – the other candidate in 2007
Amazing how the 2007 election for Town of Hempstead Supervisor seems to mean so much more today to Islanders fans and the supporters of the Lighthouse Project.
Republican Kate Murray won the election over Democratic nominee Kevin Gorman, 66,000 votes to 30,000 (a landslide, but a negligible margain if enough residents are fired up about an issue). For so many, the election of 2007 did not seem like a big deal at the time. Now it does.
Big enough that Kevin Gorman was not completely shocked when I contacted him by phone over the weekend. Gorman, out of MacArthur High School and Fordham University, has moved on to greater works. He was one of the leaders of a program to bring handicapped-accesible voting machines to Nassau County.
Consistent with a life of service in volunteer programs from CYO sports to the Knights of Columbus and Long Island Blood Sevices, Gorman took the high road.
During the campaign, what was your position on the Lighthouse Project?
(Laughing) Well, I wasn’t really prepared to get back to politican mode, but I guess this should give you an indication of where I stood – I have tickets for a few Islanders games at the Coliseum over the next couple of weeks.
Was the Coliseum project a major part of the election battle with Kate Murray?
To be honest with you, at the time, not really. It should have been. There were plenty of issues, and the Lighthouse was part of it, but it would be wrong to charcaterize it as the defining cause of the election.
Where do you stand on the project now?
We need it. I thought then, and believe even more so now, that the project is key for Long Island’s future, for Nassau County and for the Town of Hempstead. My position during the election was that the project’s plans needed to be examined carefully but expeditiously. It is too vital a development to drag our feet. The additional tax revenue to the County and the Town is so important. The property taxes, once the development was completed, are also key.
What’s your take on Kate Murray’s handling of the project so far?
I disagree with Supervisor Murray’s position that the development should be separated between the arena and the rest of the development. That’s not the deal that was agreed upon between Charles Wang’s group and Nassau County. We need the total development.
Any advice for Islanders fans?
It may be an old saying, but it’s so true in issues like this – the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Keep the pressure on the Town to move in an expeditious manner.
What would you say to Charles Wang?
Keep on rebuilding the Islanders, and continue the push for the Lighthouse Project. Both are very important to Long Island.
Comments.
82 Responses to THE CANDIDATE BEHIND THE LIGHTHOUSE PROJECT
Meet Kevin Gorman – the other candidate in 2007
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guerin13 says:
maybe we can get gorman to run against her again. is this a 2 or 4 year position? i thought she was up for re-election this year but maybe i’m wrong.
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Dmarie says:
Good read!..I wish it would come to pass, but who knows anymore!
BTW CB? I caught you on the pregame show with CJ yesterday, I thought you did a great job talking about who, what, where. and why.
This blog is probably one of the only places fans can get the real stories and I just want to say thank you for keeping us up to date on all things Islanders.
Next Islander game we’re all gonna start Chanting CB CB..lol!
ok..maybe not but we do thank you for all your hard work. -
isles316 says:
What I like about Gorman is that he promoted the Lighthouse Project and stated all the benefits. Most of the benefits aren’t the New York Islanders. They are tax money and revenue for the Town and County. That being said, how could anyone not be for this project?
I think we would all feel better if Kate Murray came out and said. “We are doing all we can to get the Lighthouse approved but it takes time and patience….”
Basically she deflects everything like a 4th grader and blames everyone else.
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CB, this interview was a masterstroke – well done.
I agree with 316 that it was good to see Mr. Gorman speak so extensively about the benefits of the Lighthouse as opposed to complexity, density, or cost. Hopefully, with the help of my fellow fans and TOH residents, we can make the Lighthouse a major issue this campaign. Demonizing Kate Murray is still not the answer – as Mr. Gorman stated, we need to make it clear that we want this development done for the sake of the Islanders and the larger community.
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Darren says:
Once again CB…GREAT stuff!!
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Stumpy32 says:
Echoing the 2nd post…is this guy even running again this year against Her Holiness?
If not, we need to find a candidate who can get 17,000 more votes than Gorman did in 2007…that’s just a bit more than a sellout at the Coliseum. Take away the kids under voting age, and that Ziggy guy w/ the gold hair who probably is a convicted felon and cannot vote, we need to find a few more people in TOH who will support us. On the day of inauguration, let’s find a new political candidate!
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GilliesKO says:
Nice Get CB. I used to play in the CYO leagues that Mr. Gorman was involed with. He was always very involved in trying to make Long Island a better place to live. He’s right- Keep up the pressure on these politicians, and lets get to the rebuilding of Ft. Neverlose.
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HilbertSnipe says:
STUMPY32- Hahahaha. That was a good one. Keep the pressure coming on the town of hempstead. Let’s call it… overspeed.
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Pat says:
Your turn Kate !
Time to come on the Chris Botta Show here and state your case.
Pat
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McLovin21 says:
Great job Chris. If he doesnt run again, we need someone like him who supports the project to run. I think some people might feel differently about Kate Murray now than they did in 2007 when we werent getting threats of relocation from Wang. The only thing that will get this project moving is the threat that Murray will lose her job if she doesnt approve this project.
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Great article CB. Who knows? Maybe we can get enough heat that they greenlight this thing after all. Feb 21st is TOH night at the NVMC. Why don’t us isles fans show up, pack the old barn, and let Kate know how we feel?
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Matt Scordato says:
Excellent Chris, I’d also be interested to hear what the folks in Uniondale have to say about the Lighthouse. Haven’t heard to much from them. My guess is the people who live directly across Hempstead Tpke probably aren’t thrilled with the prospect of all the construction and what not a stones throw from their homes. On the other hand the Uniondale School District might be licking their cops over the windfall of school tax revenue and quite honestly the surrounding communities deserve to get a slice of the pie as well, some of those school districts can use it (i.e. Hempstead). I recall a piece in the local Garden City paper about a year ago that the people in Westbury were pretty ticked off that they wouldn’t be entitled to a cut of the revenue but surely be affected by the impact of the Lighthouse.
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Ah man, why did it have to be the 21st? I have to go to Boston that weekend, and last year I had to head to California for TOH night. Oh well….let’s make it positive, cheer Murray, and chant LIGHT-HOUSE as she comes out to drop the puck.
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Ed J says:
GREAT JOB AS ALWAYS!!! ALSO GOOD JOB ON MSG+ TELECAST. KEEP IT GOING!!!
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Rob says:
Let’s all hope that the shovels will be in the ground before she is up for reelection…
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David says:
Is there any way we can start something that could make a real difference in this thing? Like organizing a march to the town hall or organizing a ‘save the Islanders’ night at the coliseum. If we could start getting the word out now we could pack a game and have everyone bring signs for the cameras. We could inform MSG+ and Newsday before it happens so we could get some tv and newspaper coverage. Maybe Jaffe or CJ would be willing to do pre-game interviews on the concourse with fans. I feel like we as fans need to and CAN do more.
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ISLESFAN999 says:
Lets do something to help. I am very much willing to help this thing get approved. We deserve this team!!!
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UIF says:
“Feb 21st is TOH night at the NVMC. Why don’t us isles fans show up, pack the old barn, and let Kate know how we feel?”
We tried that last year. Ms. Murray decided not to show up and sent an underling instead. Wouldn’t be a major surprise if she did the same again, but we’ll see.
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Then that should be the night! The 21st of February should be sold out and we should keep pushing everyone to make signs to hold up together when Kate comes out on the ice. We could come up with a chant etc. We need to make this thing HUGE. It can’t be half assed because I don’t want to see our Islanders leave New York! I am going on the site to get tickets and I hope everyone will do the same.
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I’ll be getting my tickets for the 21st later today. We should try to sell out that game and be vocal and loud during the puck drop.
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JP39 says:
What if we all just went down to the Coliseum one night with shovels and just start digging on our own?? You think they would stop us? LOL
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JPinVA says:
isles316 on Jan 20th, 2009 10:13:53 said:
What I like about Gorman is that he promoted the Lighthouse Project and stated all the benefits.Really? All of them? Gorman (based on what I just read) said the town needs it because of tax revenue… THOSE ARE ALL OF THE BENEFITS? Sometimes I think some of us have special reading glasses… or is there another version of this blog that only super humans can see?
I think we all want to see something happen there. We, as Islander fans, want to see something happen before our team moves. But I think the bigger point, as even it’s biggest supporters have said, is that it’s done correctly the first time.
If YOU don’t question what is being done there more judiciously, YOU will have to live with the consequences. I don’t live there, so I really don’t care how much traffic you have to sit in, or if the sewer system backs up and floods all of uniondale… or maybe that the water tables don’t support the residential zoning of that property… or what the rerouting of residential traffic flow will cost the county… or… wait… why write this… you can’t see it anyway with those glasses on.
BTW: Great work Chris. You never disappoint!
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It’s mind boggling to me that Pittsburgh( which I’m sure is a fine town) can get 2 new stadiums and soon a hockey arena built it less time than these environmental studies are taking!!!
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volmeeezy says:
since the whole kansas city thing came out ive been thinking of what we can do as fans to make a difference. As you can see on this blog , there are so many passionate die hard islander fans that maybe we could organize something that hopefully will let our voices be heard. I am all for it so lets get the ideas rolling … I’ll be in Australia for the next 3 months so CB keep bloggin! this site will be my only source for my Islander addiction… go islesssss
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Isles1972 says:
Great read CB! And you were let go by the Isles because? Keep up the great work. I love reading your stuff!!!!
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JayK says:
There’s one politician that we haven’t heard from on this, and that’s Al D’Amato. I don’t know what his clout is these days; he’s been out of office 10 years, his party lost the White House, and his party no longer controls the county. But I have to think that he’s tight with people like Wang and Rexcorp and all the other business interests that would support the Lighthouse. I keep hoping that he’s going to pull Kate Murray aside and say “back this.” I don’t know if he still has the clout to do that, but I certainly hope so.
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#23 To claify I meant that he promoted some benefits that didn’t have to do with the Islanders.
The more people realize that this isn’t going to happen until the Lighthouse is pushed as economic growth and the Islanders are the least important aspect of it, then the town of hempstead residents wont react in large numbers like we need them too.
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mrlbem says:
JayK #27,
I don’t think that D’Amato carries the clout that he used to. I didn’t follow this story closely ebcause I’m not a TOH resident, but didn’t the Town turn down D’Amato’s plan to replace the Sands Beach Club with condos? This may be hopelessly naive, but I think that the Supervisor wants what’s best for the Town and, ahem, outside influences such as D’Amato aren’t going to have much influence, for better or worse.
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Jethro09 says:
I like this Gorman guy! Lets get Murray inpeached so that Gorman can win a special election! If not, lets get Gorman to run against her next term! He’s already got my vote (too bad I don’t live in the TOH!).
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MRlbem, post 29. Good point, but I actually think the effort to kill the condos failed politically. Later, the project was killed. But the NIMBY folks, if I remember, did not kill the project. Separately, for some reason, I think the county had jurisdiction, but I don’t know why it wasn’t a town jurisdiction.
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walter says:
What does President Obama’s inauguration speech mean for the Lighthouse project???
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West Coast Fan says:
Couple of things…
(1) I play hockey with a bunch of Leaf fans from Toronto. When describing the state of affairs on the Island to them last night, I only had to give them a single example of how poorly things are going – after the Caps scored their goal 6 minutes into the first yesyerday, that the Coliseum staff couldn’t figure out how to turn off the red light behind Danis. They’d never heard anything so funny in their lives…
(2) Anyone remember the “Shot Clock” banner guy from the late 70s/early 80s? Back when the Isles were about the only team left whose facility didn’t have a shot clock? Every game, the guy hung a huge sheet from the base of the 200s seating section with a new message for Bill Torrey. It was always something very creative, with the ultimate effect of “Hey Torrey, how about a shot clock?” This went on for, I think, almost a full season. Well, the Isles finally got their shot clock.
Some creative type with season tix should do the same thing, directed at Kate Murray. Messages like…
“Hey Murray, Long Island needs construction jobs. How about a Lighthouse?”
“Hey Murray, 16,234 no-votes means no re-election. How about a Lighthouse?”
“Hey Murray, Hillary Duff hates fly-over states. How about a Lighthouse?”
I think the Islanders brass would suspend their “no-banners from fixed partitions” rule, or whatever it is, for a campaign like that…
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mtrico says:
The Lighthouse would be a good platform for the Dems to use to run against Murray in the next election. here’s hoping that they do that and put up a strong candidate.
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Paul in Canada says:
JPinVA raises some points I’d like to have clarified: what is the status of that environmental assessment report/study? Has this been fully submitted by Wang and Rexler yet or not? Is it a real thing that would slow the process or is just a political excuse at this point? Other than it, is there anything else Hempstead could say that they are waiting for?
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isles72 says:
isnt D’Amato the guy that steered Wang towards buying the isles ?
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Paul – on my understanding, the environmental review is ongoing since June and will be finished in 30-60 days. This is a normal timeframe given the stringent laws here in New York State. After the environmental review is finished, public comments, final scoping, and lease negotiations will happen. Kate Murray is not holding up the process right now, she simply isn’t. However, she can in essence pocket veto the project by waiting months upon months to schedule the public comments. That is deadly accurate that they can’t do much before environmental review, but I think people here and in other places are skittish because Kate Murray has never publicly stated the benefits of the project (affordable housing, high-density housing, walkable community, access to federal transportation dollars for the site, tax revenues, jobs, increased event attraction, etc.), only harping on the complexity and density of it. I don’t want to demonize her, as I’ve repeatedly said (beaten to death?), but we should keep the pressure on because she COULD obstruct the process if she so chose, or if supporters of the project did not clearly communicate their numbers and their voices.
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Isles72 yes he is and paul in CA the environmental review should be done in the next 25-55 days if you believe what was in Newsday on Friday.
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TimQ says:
West Coast Fan (#33) – The red light continually going off was pretty funny. My daughter asked me about it and I told her that it malfunctioned because it was getting used too much this year, especially in the 3rd period
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BeatleBailey says:
yeah i thought it was in anticipation of the next ovechkin goal..lol
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The only thing us islanders fans have to do is let keep the pressure on Murray so she understands the people, including her TOH residents want this project to get done and there will be consequences (losing her job) if it doesnt. She has an obligation not only to the TOH but to all of long island to do what can be done responsibly to keep the islanders here. Like Hermann of newsday said the is past week if the islanders go that will be it. The island will never have another pro sports franchise. I personally appreciate the ability to drive 15 minutes to watch a professional sporting event, even if it is only the visiting team..lol
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PTA says:
Once again, great job Chris!….This may or may not be the appropriate place to organize something but an event to show support in front of Kat Murray’s office I think would be a good idea….as a long time Islander fan that moved to jersey (due to work and marriage), I would absolutely make the trip and bring along a few folks….
Are there particular e-mails addresses or phone numbers for the town of hempstead that we could utilize?
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“2300 residences”. Will the residents get season or partial season ticket plans?
there’s a benefit.
“It’ll take you 2 hours to get out of your below grade parking lot, but hey, catch an Islander game while you wait!” -
cgs878 says:
Part of the concern that the surrounding areas (East Meadow and Uniondale) have is the additional “supporting cast” needed to accommodate the 2300 residences. They will need additional volunteer fire departments and additional schools. Neither of those is represented on the Lighthouse plan as far as I can tell, and both would need to be built “somewhere” nearby. If Wang & Rex are paying for those, I’m sure it’s smooth sailing. If not, I can understand the TOH’s dislike for “being forced to spend money.”
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Strummer's Army says:
Does it not amaze you that there is one idiot (Kate Murray) holding up this entire thing and hurting and stressing so many. She’ll be crushed at election this time around.
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Mike says:
This is perfect. Hit the politicians where it hurts: the voting booths. If enough people put pressure on the town, Kate Murray will have to cave in to save her next election.
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The Isles website has an ad on the front featuring Getzlaf and Okposo. Not sure which draft it was NOk or Nilsson or O’Marra but Ana picked after the Isles and got Getzlaf. Moving forward he is the protype for what I believe the Isles should be. Big, fast, aggressive, very skilled, producer, very good in all zones, great hockey sense, and a fighter.
Enough with the midgets Garth!
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DavidNYC says:
I say this with a snarky smile but how great would it be if tons of Isles fans raised handmade posters saying something like “Impeach Kate” or “Kate Must Go, Not the Isles” at the next game
That probably still wouldn’t get her attention but it sounds like it is time to get all Steve Webb on her and be a thorn in her side! -
jax says:
Sabourin was just put on waivers. There is our next goalie.
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In addition, as to the “being forced to pay” on the part of the town: If 2300 people move in, thats 2300 people paying taxes meaning they have plenty of money to go out and build new firehouses an all that.
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Willis says:
Well first, its great that Mr. Gorman is for the Lighthouse but how is this going to help get the Lighthouse if he is not working in public office?
Second, I am all for packing the NVMC and the signs that someone suggested sound good (thumbs up). But like some posters have said, this is a project that will benefit the whole town; not just the Islanders fans. There should be some way in the near future to bring both factions together if at all possible to show Kate that the support for the project is there and is not just from the sports fans. Here is a question for some of you who live in the area (I don’t): Other than the banner at NVMC and the lighthouse commercials during Islander games, is the Lighthouse project being “advertised” to the general public? Do the people of the area know all of the good things that the lighthouse will do for their area?
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DavidNYC on Jan 20th, 2009 14:27:23 said:
I say this with a snarky smile but how great would it be if tons of Isles fans raised handmade posters saying something like “Impeach Kate” or “Kate Must Go, Not the Isles” at the next game That probably still wouldn’t get her attention but it sounds like it is time to get all Steve Webb on her and be a thorn in her side!Id recommend signs more along the line of “We Want the Lighthouse!” because calling for ‘impeachment’ is so silly it would invariably draw away from the topic at hand. If you want to mention her specifically how about things like “Murray needs to hurry” or “Don’t Wait, Kate” and things like that. Thats the kind of thing you mean and would stand by, so there is no reason to make idle and laughably inappropriate threats of impeachment when absolutely nobody means any of that anyway. Say things you mean, and they will mean that much more.
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Willis just hit it on the head. The only people who really know whats going on are hockey fans. Most rangers fans i know are basically like screw you guys and your building…go move to KC. The general public seems to have no knowledge of this whole thing. Chalk it up to politics: unless the money flows through your revenue counts, it is unneeded waste.
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Jim says:
Strummers Army – it was Nilsson. They also got Corey Perry at the end of the first round, one pick after Tambellini. Mike Richards was also taken after Nilsson and Getzlaf.
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Kevin says:
From my iphone so I hope this works good to hear.I think I will start. Bringing in posters on the lightouse and murray and Kansas city. This guy should have been elected:)
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Mike – I haven’t experienced it as much, except for a few militant Rag fans that want us dead, let alone without a team. When I was at the public hearings in May-June I had the privilege of talking to many community leaders who were enthusiastic about the project without ever planning to go to a hockey game. For the area of Uniondale-Hempstead, the extra tax revenue, money for transportation improvements, jobs, and affordable housing are really resonating. If you follow the Lighthouse site and blog, you’ll see that they spent a lot of time meeting with community groups and hearing their concerns in order to drive support and make the project better for the community. Hopefully, the Lighthouse people can make a better PR push (since I don’t think the “Meet Me @ The Lighthouse” commercials most accurately convey their message), and we can continue to get the word out. I will re-iterate, the vast majority of people I met at the hearings were positive – I’d say about 80%.
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Yeah that draft was odd. But remeber that we weren’t the only team that passed on them.like I said this guy should rub again . There is sumthin bout his name that I’d good.weither it is kevin or his last name which is like Gordon
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Jim, man that is just hard to believe our GM and scouting department at the time were so horrible! Pass on Paraise is bad for Nilsson but really if you have Getzlaf and Paraise sitting there you take Getzlaf and how they grabbed Perry late in the round like that is just amazing. I hope Ana becomes a model for us.
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Sabourin will be ours. Geez, I just with the Lighthouse would be put on waivers soon so Snow can pick it up.
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SIR WILLIAM says:
Let the Democrats run on the Lighthouse Project. They will get whipped again and worse than last time. You people here just don’t get it. The TOH Supervisor is just reflecting the wishes of the people who live here. We don’t want this project as it stands now. Fix the Coliseum, allow for parking and perhaps develop some of the surrounding area. It doesn’t have to be as massive as Wang wants it to be.
Projections of tax revenue are always wonderful. Read todays Newsday to see how Nassau County’s sales tax revenue was short by 20 million for just the 4 th quarter. Politicians and developers only lie when their lips are moving…..SW
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Sir William, you are now speaking for this collective “we” when you dont have anything to back it up. I am a resident of the TOH and you sure dont represent me. I have handed out pamphlets and spread information and Ive been to town meetings, and I dont see this “we” that you claim to represent. Where are all these people that you insist are against this project? Either put up evidence that you are speaking for everyone or think twice about making statements that supposedly represent the will of the people!
And as far as “what Wang wants it to be” goes, it has already been pointed out by Chris Botta more than once that the project AS-IS is what NASSAU COUNTY wanted and what Nassau County approved. You need to let go of this notion that Wang is himself pushing this and it is not what others want, its simply not factual.
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Sir William, I am a TOH voter, and although I vote Republican across the board, if Murray does not change her tune soon and stand squarely behind the Lighthouse project, she will not be getting my vote. I want the project as is. I believe it is visionary in its scope and what it will accomplish. So, please do not include me in your “we.”
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Sir William, post 60:
As Nick has said, the opponents are not showing up at the hearings that he has attended. (I know other people who have attended various hearings, and they are all saying the same thing — the NIMBY folks just aren’t there). So where are all these people who are opposed to it? They’re very silent this time. The Adrienne Espositos of this world — the people who just oppose everything out of habit — have yet to be seen.
Also, if “fix the Coliseum and do some development” was a workable plan, and one that presumably wouldn’t generate any opposition, why didn’t a single developer submit that into the RFP process the county held?
As far as it being massive, the fact is it’s about the size of development that is going on in so many other parts of the country in urban and suburban areas. A dense conglomeration of offices, retail, housing, etc., like the area around the Coyotes’ arena, Tysons Corner in Virginia (no team there!), and so on.
Like it or not, the rest of the world is moving ahead with a different type of development than what people like you favor: lots of people spread out over a wide area in low density. The Lighthouse is the type of place that businesses increasingly want to go, and a lot of people want to move to places like that as well. This isn’t theory; it’s fact. It’s happening all over the country. The rest of the world isn’t going to sit still for us while we pine for the Long Island of old.
Your comments on the sales tax revenue are snarky and I’m sure they made you feel good. But what you’re saying is that the County political leaders were supposed to know that we were going to get hit with the worst recession since the 30′s and built that into their sales tax estimates. That’s just ridiculous.
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Neil says:
CB, you should run for ToH Supervisor! You are a stakeholder in the town. You have name recognition and a email base for a grassroots insurgent Obama-like campaign. The apparatus for a fund-raising cascade is alrady in place! You’re looking for a job that makes a difference at this stage of your life. Many of us who vounteered for Obama in swing states would rally to your cause. You can save the Islanders. Think about it.
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Kevin Fitz says:
Off topic. Did something happen to BD Gallof? Howcome he hasn’t been posting on the “site that shall not be named”?
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CB said that he “has an upper body injury”
and is out for the year … i would have thought it was a pulled groin -
If this issue is still not resolved by the summer, there’s no way this can’t not become an issue. Town elections are usually so boring; the issues are uneventful. Without slandering Kate Murray, my guess is she figured she could stay in that job for a long time, go to a few ribbon cuttings, knock down the Courtesy hotel, and so on. I think CB is right: she looks like she would just prefer this go away, not so much because she’s necessarily against it, though she might be, but because this disturbed her plans of a fairly non-controversial tenure. With a good candidate from the Democrats, she is going to have to take a stand. This race is no longer going to be able to fly under the radar, like it usually does. She is going to have to decide whether she’s the highest-ranking bureaucrat in town hall, or a LEADER. Even if she isn’t going to be defeated, and that’s not likely, if she runs against a Democrat who really poses the question to her “What do you see as the future of the Town of Hempstead?” she is going to have to give some real answers, not a lot of BS about, “Well, I told Mr. Wang four years ago blah blah blah…” It should be an interesting race.
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OH, C’MON WHO IS even still going to the site that shall not be named? It just isn’t worth it. My friend who keeps me updated on the crap from there sent me the funniest thing from the guy yesterday about advertising revenue down and if ya can just help me out with $20.00 to keep the thing going. It reminded me about when I go out the to clubs downtown and ya walk out at 4am and all the way back to your car your hear “can ya just help me out.” Don’t waste 30 secs of your life on that BS site.
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ken says:
Boomer and Carton were supporting the project on their show this morning. Boomer is a pretty decent figure head on Long Island. Good to see he supports the project despite his poor choice in hockey teams.
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Isles have a press conference to shut down dp for the yr today
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David says:
Jay K, post 63 is dead on. I guess some of us do get it, great post.
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BR says:
Nick Classic – Something you and the other supporters/organizers/groups down there might want to think about…For TOH night (Feb 21?) you should put together an “Open Letter to the Town of Hempstead” that would outline the benefits of the Lighthouse project, why it is worthy of support, and why it is in the best interests of the community that the development proceed as quickly as possible. Get that letter signed by as many community groups, community leaders, organizations, unions, firehalls, etc, etc.
Get in in a full-page in Newsday on the 21st. Very effective technique for a grassroots campaign.
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lol it was a joke .. i love B.D as well
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Pete DeBenedetto says:
Will the Alumni come out and speak about the Lighthouse???
Would be nice if the other local teams supported this as well. God knows we fill up Newark when we’re in town.
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If it doesnt get passed… i think every single long islander should pack their bags and leave… population 0… haha thatll show her!!
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Obviously Ms Murray has her finger on the pulse of what the TOH wants. That’s why she has repeatedly stated that she could care less about what a hockey team owner wants. That’s what I base my opinion on.
Of the 677,111 people in the TOH how many have shown up at these meetings one hundred? Two hundred?
Wait until the reports are all in and then see how the opponents come out of the woodwork. No one is opposed yet because it’s so far from being a reality that no one is affected yet.
The simple truth is that the TOH has other things to worry about instead of lining Wangs pockets. With unemployment nearing 10%, recession looming and state funds drying up people are not worried about the Islanders or the Coliseum.
Too bad if you didn’t like the comment about the sales tax shortfall. It’s reality. Nassau County is facing a whopping shortage of funds. And you can’t spend projections….SW
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SW, your last point has so many ridiculous things in it that I don’t know where to begin.
“lining Wang’s pockets…” Yes, presumably the Town of Hempstead’s economic development people would prefer people who want to invest in the town, but not actually make any money.
“Unemployment near 10%” True, a big problem. But the supervisor of a town usually has almost no power to change that, except to promote economic development….like Kate Murray does with the Lighthouse. Instead, you want to kill this development that would employ thousands of people, because, well, you know, we wouldn’t want to “line Wang’s pockets.”
The tax shortfall is reality: I know it’s reality. But your earlier statement implied that Nassau’s projections should be criticized after the fact because they didn’t build in the worst recession since the 30′s. The fact is their projections were for a 0.5% increase in sales tax revenue, very conservative. Like almost everyone else, they didn’t see this collapse coming.
Why don’t you start saying what you are in favor of? Being against things is very, very easy, particularly on Long Island.
You ultimately may succeed; this project may go down in flames. But if I read between the lines, you are advocating continued development on a very low level of density, which not a single serious planner or developer thinks is the wave of the future. So we’ll continue to have political leaders like Kate Murray and John Vendetto whose vision, like yours, is that of the past, when the rest of the world has decided to move forward. And as I said earlier, these other areas building the type of edge city/new urbanism developments that you abhor but which companies and people have flocked to elsewhere are going to be attracting the business and work forces of tomorrow.
And when that happens, SW, what’s your plan for Nassau County then?
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I really like the idea of a pool to buy, as Islander fans, a full page ad in Newsday on the day of Town of Hempstead night. It would be a lot of money – though maybe many open wallets could do it, if we pull together — and it would be difficult to coordinate. Chris, I think you’re the only one who could do that. (Not pay for it!!…but organize it.)
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JAYK, I am not in the business of planning Nassau County’s future. I am just a private citizen who does not want to see suburban Nassau turned into an urban area.
I am in favor of fixing the Coliseum, but we need more shopping malls and apartment buildings like a hole in the head.
Yes, I understand that if Wang doesn’t get his way or if the land doesn’t get developed according to his wishes then the world will come to an end.
Nassau County will dry up and blow away.Funny how we survived all these years without a Lighthouse Project and Long Island’s population actually increased.
Start with the fact that even the most elementary of economic students knew that
an economic downturn was here. And yet the genius politicians still projected a rise in sales tax revenue when everyone
else knew a shortfall was coming.Projections are made to fit a bill of goods. They mean nothing. All this talk of increased tax revenue for the TOH and the County are a bunch of bull. In the end the property owners here will end up paying for this. Just look at the Yankee and Met fiascos.
Banks all over are going broke because no one is lending money yet we are lead to beleive the Wang has the cash to put up for this project. By the time it starts the “projections” on cost will be obsolete and will have doubled. Wang will come running hat in hand for a bailout (sound familiar).Kate Murray is right and 100, 200 or 500 hockey fans are not going to change her mind…..SW
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We don’t need more shopping malls. But we absolutely need more apartments.
Nassau’s percentage of housing that is rental is less than 20%. In places like Westchester and New Jersey, it’s close to a third. That’s why NJ and Westchester don’t have the young person’s brain drain that we have on Long Island. We tell young people this: buy a house, or live with your parents. Why do you think so many of our young people are moving off Long Island when faced with that choice?
Nassau’s population is not increasing, which is never a sign of a county on the economic cutting edge. Please check out this site: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36059.html
Your arguments are those of somebody who prefers to rant rather than analyze.
OMG, you really never cease to amaze me. You really and truly are the best at what you do. This is a priceless find.